But my parents don't like cats. We already have a dog, but I'm not much of a dog person. I LOVE cats. I've been volunteering in the cat section at my local Petsmart, and there's a cat there that I've fallen in love with. There were a few others before that I wanted to adopt, but this cat... I don't know. I believe that there's a special bond formed when the animal chooses you to be its owner, and I feel like he's chosen me. The first time I held him, he let me hold him on his back and he fell asleep in my arms. He is the sweetest cat, and I absolutely love him. I would adopt him in a heartbeat.

My mom recently got remarried and I now have a step brother that lives at home with us. He likes cats, but my step dad doesn't. I think my mom might be able to convince him to let me get the cat, but the problem is, I need to convince her to let me get the cat. She liked my old cat, which this cat reminds me of. She said he was cool and sweet, and she loved him. I really think she might like this cat, if I got her to even consider it.

The thing is, my sisters don't take care of animals well without huffing and puffing about having to do it. I'm going off to college this fall, but the college is close enough that I can come visit whenever I have time to, which could be as often as every other day or on the weekends. If we adopted him, I could care for him and get him settled in and used to everyone else during the summer, then when I go to college his care would fall on my step brother or my sisters. I think my step brother would take care of him, as he does like cats. I'm hoping that if I can convince him to help me out and take care of him while I'm away, I might be able to win my mom over.

The house is huge, but he would only be staying on the bottom floor, where my room is. His litter box would be in my bathroom, and all of his things will be in my room or one of the rooms in my part of the house. We have an in-law suite that me and my brother both stay in, and it has one spare room and a kitchen. I was thinking his cat tree and whatnot could be put in the spare room, and his food can be in the kitchen. I think I have it worked out so that he could be cared for and loved. I know my sisters will like him, and he'll play and cuddle. He's the only cat I know that will let you hold him for hours. He just loves to be cuddled and pet.

I'm worried if I don't jump at this opportunity now, I might lose him and not be able to adopt him. I've already lost one cat at the shelter that I feel had chosen me, but I can't do anything about that now. All I can do is try to adopt this one, which I feel like I'm more attached to anyway.

What do you guys think? Do you think I should try to convince my parents? I really want him, and I know I'll take care of him, but I have to convince my siblings to help out while I'm at college. I'll be here on the weekends to take care of him, and whenever I manage to get an apartment (which will hopefully be soon. I could technically have an apartment now, but I don't think my dad will go for it and help me with the money), I could bring him with me.

He's $95 to adopt, and I'm estimating that a litter box, litter, food bowls, and food will be about $45-ish. I can get a simple litter pan, since that's what he has now in the shelter, and be able to get something better later on. I'll need to get him a scratching post, which should be only about $20, or more if I want to get him a tree instead. I should be spending around $200, more or less.

I'll be graduating this June, and I'll be able to pay back my parents with whatever money I get, or he could simply be an early graduation gift. I volunteer at the shelter, so I'm almost positive I'll get approved to adopt him. The woman in charge knows me and has seen me with him. One of the other volunteers actually told me I should adopt him, because he seems to love me so much.

If it were me, I'd definitely try.
Just bring your mom in, let her meet the cat and them talk to her about it after her meeting him/her. I've found that parents are much more convinceable after they have seen and got to know the pet
But, since you will be going off to college soon and leaving a lot of the pet care burden on your family, you'll have to talk to everyone to see if it's fair to them before taking him/her home.

If it were me, I'd definitely try.
Just bring your mom in, let her meet the cat and them talk to her about it after her meeting him/her. I've found that parents are much more convinceable after they have seen and got to know the pet
But, since you will be going off to college soon and leaving a lot of the pet care burden on your family, you'll have to talk to everyone to see if it's fair to them before taking him/her home.

I don't think I can rely on my sisters much, as far as caring for him goes. They're 10, but they've proved before that they aren't responsible to care for pets on their own. My step brother is 16 going on 17, and I'm sure he'll be willing to help me. All he'd have to do is clean the litter box and feed him twice a day. My sisters will play with him and brush him, and all of the fun stuff I'm not sure if my brother will do or not. I know my sisters would be happy to have a cat again, and I know my brother likes cats, so I'm sure he wouldn't mind. I would rather convince my mom first, then ask my siblings if they would help me out.

I have a list of all the supplies I would need to get him, but I doubt he would really need a bed. I have pillows and a beanbag he would probably wind up using, plus my own bed that he'll probably sleep on.

He's a two year old orange tabby boy. :) He's adorable, and so cuddly. I'm sure my mom will love him.

If I were in your shoes I'll try asking everyone in the family to see if their're ok with it and then adpot him.

My sisters are okay with it, and I haven't mentioned it to my step brother yet, but I'm sure he would be okay with it too. But my mom said no, so I'm guessing that's that and I won't be getting him. I'm heart broken and I don't want to give up, especially since my sisters said that they would actually help out for real this time, since they know now how much it means to me.

I know it sucks and that you're sad, but speaking from a parental point of view; perhaps your mom thinks that it's not fair to get a cat when you're going to college, and won't be home much to take care of him. Which means the other kids will have to take care of him, and I'm sure she feels that your stepdad wouldn't appreciate being "stuck" with a cat that he never wanted.

As callous as it may sound (and I really don't mean it insensitively) but there will be other cats that will catch your heart strings when you're out and in your own place.

Sometimes, it also happens that someone will adopt a pet, and then have to leave the home for whatever reason, and someone else will become too attached to the pet for the original owner to take it with them when they can have the pet in their own home.

I've been in both sides of the situation: My mom used to bring home a menagerie that I would get saddled with taking care of, including her dog when she left my dad. And when my dog had to stay with her because I was homeless and in a shelter, my step-dad claimed her, so now I can't have her back.